High-level scripting refers to programs written in a high-level programming language that may be interpreted rather than compiled into a binary executable. Examples of high-level scripting languages include, but are not limited to, PERL, Python, Tool Command Language (TCL), JavaScript, Ruby, etc. In some cases, a small binary executable may run significantly faster and more efficiently than a script written to perform the same function. However, development time requirements for building that executable may be significantly greater than development time for the script. Further, an executable may not be as easily shared throughout a development community. This is in part, because of the fact that scripting languages are human-readable and binary executables are not. A binary executable may contain malicious code that cannot be visually identified whereas a script can be easily read and understood prior to its execution.
In the field of network administration, devices dispersed throughout one or more networks may monitor network and device activities and perform high-level scripting functions to support a network administrator. In different administration environments, different numbers of scripts may be available and may be written by local system administrators or provided by third parties. High-level scripting languages are used, in part, for their ease of development and readability. However, as mentioned above, high-level scripting languages are often interpreted by a command interpreter at run-time and are not binary executables. Thus, there may be additional overhead associated with executing a high-level administration script. This overhead may have at least two contributing factors. The first, as mentioned above, is a run-time overhead because of the interpretation. A second is that the interpreter itself must load and consume resources on the executing device.